1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to adjustable seats for children. In particular, the present invention relates to child restraint seats for vehicular travel which are adaptable to accommodate the seating/support needs of a large range of children from small toddlers to children old enough to use adult lap/shoulder belts.
2. Related Art
Child restraint seats are typically provided in a plurality of sizes and configurations. Generally, conventional car seats are xe2x80x9cgrown out ofxe2x80x9d in relatively short time periods and need to be replaced at various milestones in the physical development of the child, which can vary widely among different children. The replacement commonly occurs long prior to the end of the life expectancy of the cox seat.
For instance, parents must initially place infants in infant car seats, which face rearwardly, for vehicular travel. The infant car seats provide a safety zone about an infant which is substantially horizontal thereby allowing the infants, who are not able to sit up on their own, to lie or recline in the seat. Once the child is able to sit up on their own, the infant seat is replaced by a toddler-sized seat. The toddler-sized seat typically provides a forward-facing and slightly reclined seating environment for the toddler. The toddler seat is secured to the rear seat of a vehicle and tends to include a harness to securely hold the child within the seat. Eventually, however, the child outgrows the toddler-sized seat and progresses to a youth-sized seat. The youth-sized seat generally functions primarily as a booster seat and is sized to accommodate children older than toddlers.
Thus, due of the high growth rate and varying needs of children, the required child restraint seats must be replaced relatively frequently to accommodate the changing sizes, weights and needs of the child. Additionally, parents, and other adults transporting children, often have multiple children who may or may not fit within the same seat model. If all of the children do not fit within the same seat model, the entire seat must be replaced with a different seat, depending on the size or needs of the child being transported.
It is therefore an object of the invention to reduce the costs and inconvenience associated with such frequent replacement of child restraint seats for vehicular travel.
In accordance with this object, the present invention provides a more versatile child restraint seat which can be quickly and readily adapted to children who fall within a large size and weight range, such as toddlers through youths. In addition to reducing the replacement costs for child restraint seats, the preferred embodiment, provides an ability to customize the positions of various features for improved comfort and support.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a child restraint seat includes a seat body having a back portion and a seat portion, and two arm rests. The arm rests extend substantially normal to the back portion, and are movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, each arm rest has a first supporting surface, and in the second position each has a second supporting surface. The first supporting surface is higher than the second supporting surface relative to the seat portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a child restraint seat is provided for mounting on a vehicle seat cushion. The seat includes a seat body, which in turn has a back portion, a seat portion, and a channel configured to receive a portion of a vehicular seat belt. Two moveable arm supports are also attached to the seat body. A platform to recline the seat is arranged below the seat portion of the seat body by a pivoting connection. The seat portion is thus pivotable between a first position relative to the platform and a second position relative to the platform.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a child restraint seat includes vertically adjustable arm rests, a seat body, a height adjustable seat harness,s and a reclining mechanism. Desirably, the seat thus includes many adjustable features to enable conversion of the seat to safely and comfortably accommodate children of different sizes.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for adjusting a child restraint seat. The method includes rotating an arm rest about an axis which is substantially parallel to a seat bottom portion.